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scraping web-security residential-proxies ai-safety

An update on residential proxies and the scraper situation

lwn.net

July 10, 2026

16 min read

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47/100

Summary

Scraper attacks originate from numerous sources, often involving millions of unique IP addresses making multiple requests in a short period. The user-agent field in these requests is typically manipulated to appear as legitimate browser traffic.

Key Takeaways

Scraper attacks originate from millions of unique IP addresses, often using residential and mobile networks controlled by central command-and-control nodes.
Media-streaming devices have been identified as significant carriers of malicious scraping software, either through initial compromise or poor security.
Companies like Bright Data offer "ethically sourced" IP addresses and VPN services that allow users' devices to be used as endpoints in residential-proxy networks for web scraping.
Residential-proxy networks have the potential to access resources on connected networks, raising concerns beyond just web scraping activities.

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Community Sentiment

Mixed

Positives

A better common crawl could reset the baseline for information accessibility, leveling the playing field against AI labs hoarding data.
The push for a common crawl database would eliminate the need for scraping, benefiting both website operators and users.
Residential proxies are seen as the last anti-hero of the open internet, providing access where traditional methods fail.

Concerns

The sheer volume of scraping is alarming, with millions of requests raising ethical concerns and the potential for abuse.
Using residential proxies is highly unethical, with many comparing it to botnets, which undermines trust in internet practices.
The intensity of bot traffic is damaging to low-volume users, as aggressive bot defense measures end up blocking legitimate crawlers.